Meet our Board members

Business representatives

Linda Pollard OBE JP DL is Deputy Chair of Yorkshire Forward, a role in which she takes the lead in skills, tourism and key account management. Linda started her first business at the age of 23 and sold her last over 8 years ago. Now she devotes most of her time to the public sector, and is Chair of Leeds NHS Primary Care Trust. She is also the Pro-Chancellor and Chair elect of the University of Leeds, as well as the regional Chair for Coutts Bank Plc.

Barry Dodd OBE founded the GSM Group 30 years ago. Today, his company is a market leader in manufacturing with five major operations in our region. Barry’s remit at Yorkshire Forward is for business and innovation. He currently chairs CO₂ Sense formerly known as the Yorkshire Forward Sustainable Futures Company and the Yorkshire Universities Proof of Commercial Concept fund. Barry is also a Board member of Yorkshire Innovation, the Science and Innovation Council for Yorkshire and the Humber.

Julie Kenny CBE DL is managing director of Pyronix Ltd and a director of both Secure Holdings Ltd and the British Security Industry Association. She is also a UK commissioner for employment and skills; sits on the Small Business Forum; and is a member of both the Better Regulation Stakeholder Group and the Administrative Burdens Advisory Board. In our region, Julie serves on the board of Creative Sheffield and is an honorary director of Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber of Commerce.

Mark Lovell is the executive chairman of A4e Ltd. He is a dynamic, successful entrepreneur and business leader focused on high-growth business in global public service markets. His company, which has grown from start-up 15 years ago to a £100m turnover business, has received a number of accolades.
 

John Vincent is a director of AECOM, a global planning and advisory service for the built environment. John has over 30 years’ public- and private-sector experience of delivering transportation projects from feasibility through to implementation. As managing director for transportation in UK and Europe, he is responsible for over 1,100 AECOM staff in the road, rail and aviation sectors. He is a graduate of the University of Leeds; founded AECOM’s business in Yorkshire; and is a resident of York—so he is fully committed to making the region a great place in which to live and work.

Ajaz Ahmed founded Freeserve, once the UK’s largest internet service provider (ISP) and now part of Orange. Having bought a PC at a computer superstore, he discovered that no one there could tell him how to get online. So in 1998 he persuaded Dixons to launch Freeserve. After becoming the UK’s largest ISP (in just three months), quickly going public at £1.5bn and entering the FT100 soon after with a market cap of £9bn, Freeserve was later sold to Wanadoo for £1.6bn. Ajaz was business development director there until April 2001, when he left to pursue other business interests. He now holds several board positions and is actively involved with a number of investments. He also sits on the governing council at the University of Huddersfield. 

Heidi Mottram has been Managing Director of Northern Rail since it started in December 2004 and has led the setting up and transformation of what was supposed to be a ‘steady state’ franchise into one of the fastest growing and most enterprising train operators since privatisation. Heidi has worked in the rail industry since the mid-1980s, starting her career with British Rail as an Operations Management Trainee.  From 1993 to 1999 Heidi held a number of roles at InterCity East Coast and then GNER, culminating in the position of Head of Retail and Distribution. Heidi moved to Midland Mainline in 1999, then in January 2004 she joined Arriva Trains Northern as Commercial Director before moving to Serco-NedRailways in November 2004 as Managing Director of the newly formed Northern Rail franchise, which runs more trains each day than any other operator. Fom the 1st March Heidi will take up her new post as CEO of Northumbrian Water Group.

Local authority representatives

Jan Wilson CBE is an elected member of Sheffield City Council. She is also a member of the Core Cities Group and has undertaken a great deal of work with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on this agenda. She is also a member of Sheffield First Partnership and Vice-Chair of the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority. Jan is a former director of the Sheffield One board.

Cllr Kath Pinnock is Deputy Leader of Kirklees Council. She is a member of LGA Finance & Strategy Committee and a trustee of Kirklees Council Mayor’s Charity Appeal Fund. Kath also chairs Yorkshire Forward’s Scrutiny Panel, which involves working closely with the Yorkshire & Humber Assembly.

Cllr John Weighell is the leader of North Yorkshire County Council and a member of Hambleton District Council. He is also vice-chair of the Association of North Yorkshire Councils; chairman of the North Yorkshire Local Government Pension Fund; Co-Chair of the Joint Regional Board; a member of the County Councils Network executive; and a partner in a family farming business in the Vale of York, which grows arable crops and rears beef cattle.

Cllr Mark Kirk is responsible for shaping and implementing Yorkshire Forward’s policies for the environment, sustainability and rural renaissance. He is the leader of North Lincolnshire Council and chair of the Regional Transport Advisory Board. Mark is also a director of Urban Renaissance in the Humber region, chairs the local ethnic community meetings and is a founder member of the Crosby Community Association.

Higher education representative

Professor Michael Arthur, is Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leeds, and champions inclusion and skills issues on behalf of Yorkshire Forward.  Throughout his distinguished career in medial research scholarship and education, Professor Arthur received an array of accolades for his studies of the liver.  He also sits on the boards of the White Rose University Consortium, Worldwide Universities Network and Yorkshire Universities.  He has recently become a US/UK Fulbright Commissioner, as well as a Council Member of the Medical Research Council.  In September 2009, he will become Chair of the Russell Group of Universities.

Voluntary/Community Sector Representative

Sharon Allen, is Chief Executive of St Anne's Community Services, a pan regional voluntary sector organisation providing a wide range of supported housing and social care services throughout Yorkshire and Humber and the North East of England. Sharon has a number of governance and strategic roles including; Chair of Volition (Leeds Voluntary Sector Mental Health Forum) and Board member of Affinity Trust and the Regional Forum. Sharon is also a founding member of ACEVO North Steering Group and member of Skills for Care Regional Committee and represents the voluntary sector on Leeds Joint Strategic Commissioning Board, and ACEVO North Steering Group. She has recently been appointed to the Health and Criminal Justice National Advisory Group on the Bradley report and is an external examiner for Leeds Metropolitan University Post Qualifying Social Work Award.

Trade union representative

Bill Adams is currently regional secretary of the Yorkshire and Humber TUC, having previously served five years as its education officer. Bill has been a trades union activist for most of his working life, in both the public and private sectors. In 1990, he returned to university to read law, and then completed a postgraduate degree in industrial relations and labour law. Bill cares deeply for the region, having served as an executive member of the Yorkshire and Humber Assembly. He is also on the executive of the ACAS Employee Relations Forum, the Work and Skills Board in Sheffield, and the board which promotes ESF funding in the region. He is a governor of his former University of Central Lancashire. His many interests include international issues and sport.

Any expenses claimed by our Board members are published here.